I don’t know about you, but I haven’t associated Motorola with top phones in a long time. That changed for me when I reviewed the Motorola Moto G34, as it seemed to be a relative powerhouse for the price. So naturally, I jumped on the chance to check out the Motorola Edge 50 Pro to see how they did with a phone in the $1k price range.
It turns out it’s pretty solid.
What’s in the box?
Well, there is a phone. The Motorola Edge 50 Pro, to be specific. Then it comes with the fast charger, the USB-C cable, and a case. One of the things I used to love about Oppos was that they came with cases in the box, which they have stopped doing more recently. Morotola, on the other hand, seems to be running with it. This one comes with a hard case that has protection on the top and bottom, but the sides are free because of the curved screen. More on that soon.
Look and feel
One thing they have nailed with the Edge 50 Pro is that it looks and feels like a premium phone. The phone has a simple, sleek design. The raised area for the cameras has a nice little curve to it that adds to the sleek look. The back also has a nice rubbery finish that looks like a simple matte back, but it also stops the phone from slipping in your hands or on the table.
The phone uses a curved OLED screen, where the side’s edges are curved. This isn’t a new thing with smart phones, but it tends to be on premium phones. Personally, I hate it with a burning passion. I’m not sure if it’s because I have big, squishy hands, but I catch the edge of it all the time when I am using it, and the phone registers those touches. But that’s a me thing; if you love that, then this is a big win for you.
Performance
As far as performance goes, it’s solid. The Hello Moto OS is a nice and tidy version of Android. It looks slick and simple, and it runs super smooth. One thing I wish every OS did was the up-and-down scroll that goes through the list of apps. Oppo does this, and so does Moto, and it rules.
The app’s performance is perfectly fine. It doesn’t perform over-the-top well or badly, but it’s fine. But this is a mid-range phone. It does heat up a bit with continuous use, but not enough to be a problem. It gets hot when it charges. This is because it has exceptional fast charging, with a full charge consistently around 20ish minutes. When it is charging, it gets hot, so I wouldn’t hold it when it’s charging.
The battery life did get me through most days with about 10-20 % battery left at the end of the day. Given that battery life tends to degrade over time, I am a little nervous about this, but I am also a heavy phone user, so it should be OK for most people.
The cameras are shockingly good on the phone, pulling out some great snaps. The one issue is that the camera app doesn’t seem to perform well. It was slow, took a while to respond, and even juddered at times. On the whole, that’s not a big deal, but when you are trying to catch an action shot, that could be a pain in the ass.
The other major thing going for it is the IP68 rating. This is a very high waterproof rating, which if you are down in Te Whanganui-a-Tara then you will be very happy with. No matter how much you try, your phones get soaked down here, so a strong waterproof rating is a win.
Should you get one?
If you are looking in the 1K price range, you will be happy with the Motorola Edge 50 Pro. The super-fast charging is a massive win here, but god, I hope they fix that camera performance. Outside of that, it’s a damn fine phone. It does only promise three years of OS updates, but honestly, who uses a 1K phone for three years these days? Believe it or not, that’s the low end of mid-range phones these days.
In this price range, you will be happy with this phone, so long as the camera quirks can be ironed out with software updates.
